Coalescing and separation arrangements systems and methods for liquid mixtures

ABSTRACT

Coalescing and/or separating arrangements for separating a discontinuous phase liquid from a continuous phase liquid may comprise two or more of a coalescer ( 30 ), a separator ( 50 ) and a flow director ( 70 ).

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to arrangements, systems, and methods forliquid/liquid separations. More particularly, the invention relates toarrangements, systems, and methods for coalescing and separating atleast one immiscible liquid component, as the discontinuous phase, fromanother liquid component, as the continuous phase.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In many different types of fluid processing, it is often necessary toseparate mixed immiscible liquid phases or components from one another.Common devices used to separate mixtures into individual liquidcomponents include coalescers and separators. When two or moreimmiscible components are very well mixed, coalescers may be used to aidseparation by causing small particles of the discontinuous phase liquidto aggregate and form larger droplets within the continuous phaseliquid. The discontinuous phase liquid may be heavier or lighter thanthe continuous phase liquid. Separators may be used to aid separation byallowing one liquid component or phase (e.g., the continuous phaseliquid) to pass through the separator while resisting or preventingpassage of another liquid component or phase (e.g., the discontinuousphase liquid, such as the coalesced droplets of the discontinuous phaseliquid). The continuous and discontinuous phases may thus be separatedon opposite sides or surfaces of the separator. In separating liquidcomponents from one another, a typical liquid/liquid treatment systemmay thus include both a coalescer and a separator depending on thecharacteristics of the liquid mixture.

Liquid/liquid systems may include horizontal or vertical arrangements ofcoalescers and separators contained within a housing or vessel. Anexample of a coalescing and separating arrangement is a verticallystacked arrangement wherein a coalescer is stacked, e.g., end-to-end,above or below a separator. Various exemplary coalescer and separatorarrangements are disclosed, for example, in International PublicationNo. WO 97/38781 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,443,724, herein incorporated byreference. However, arrangements such as these and other separator andcoalescer arrangements, while having many advantages, may produce lessthan ideal separation results in many applications and may be moreexpensive to manufacture than is economically feasible.

For example, poor separation may result when the continuous phase liquidhas a high viscosity, e.g., is somewhat thick, and/or when thecontinuous and discontinuous phase liquids have similar specificgravities such that one liquid does not readily float on top of or sinkto the bottom of the other liquid. Any discontinuous phase liquid whichflows with the continuous phase liquid to the separator may remain incontact with the surface of many conventional separators. Discontinuousphase liquid on the surface of the separator may block the flow ofcontinuous phase liquid through the separator.

Regardless of the viscosity or specific gravity of the liquids, poorseparation may also result whenever the discontinuous phase liquid is inconstant contact with and/or builds up near or on the surface of theseparator, especially for high-flow rate or high velocity industrial andlaboratory applications. As the flow velocity of the continuous phaseliquid through the separator increases, the continuous phase liquidcarries or forces more and more of the nearby discontinuous phase liquidthrough the separator. Thus, the quality of separation product (e.g.,the continuous phase liquid) decreases because the discontinuous phaseliquid is forced through the separator along with the continuous phaseliquid. One approach to this problem may include periodically shuttingdown the operation of the system and allowing the discontinuous phaseliquid to drain away from the separator. However, this approachdramatically decreases throughput, i.e., the amount of separationproduct that can be produced by the system in a given period of time.Another approach may include using a larger vessel and/or a largerseparator. These approaches dramatically increase the cost of thesystem. Thus, along with issues of poor separation, industry has beenconfined to approaches that decrease throughput and increase equipmentcosts.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The inventions described or claimed in this application may address oneor more of the problems set forth above and/or many other problemsassociated with separating an immiscible discontinuous phase liquid froma continuous phase liquid.

In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, a liquid/liquidseparation arrangement for separating a discontinuous phase liquid froma continuous phase liquid may comprise a separator and a flow director.The separator may include an upstream surface. The separator resists thepassage of the discontinuous phase liquid and allows the passage of thecontinuous phase liquid. The flow director may be cooperatively arrangedwith the separator to direct the continuous phase liquid in acurvilinear flow path to the upstream surface of the separator.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, aliquid/liquid separation arrangement for separating a discontinuousphase liquid from a continuous phase liquid may comprise a separator anda flow director. The separator may include a separator medium, and theflow director may be mounted to the separator.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, aliquid/liquid coalescing arrangement for separating a discontinuousphase liquid from a continuous phase liquid may comprise a coalescer anda flow director. The coalescer may include a downstream surface. Thecoalescer forms smaller particles or droplets of the discontinuous phaseliquid into larger droplets. The flow director may be cooperativelyarranged with the coalescer to direct continuous phase liquid in acurvilinear flow path away from the downstream surface of the coalescer.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, aliquid/liquid coalescing arrangement for separating a discontinuousphase liquid from a continuous phase liquid may comprise a coalescer anda flow director. The coalescer may include a coalescer medium, and theflow director may be mounted to the coalescer.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, aliquid/liquid treatment arrangement for separating a discontinuous phaseliquid from a continuous phase liquid may comprise a coalescer, aseparator, and a flow director. The coalescer may include a downstreamsurface. The separator may include an upstream surface.

The flow director may be disposed between the downstream surface of thecoalescer and the upstream surface of the separator.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, aliquid/liquid treatment arrangement for separating a discontinuous phaseliquid from a continuous phase liquid may comprise a hollow coalescerand a separator. The hollow coalescer may have an interior, an upstreamside facing the interior and a downstream side facing away from theinterior of the coalescer. The separator may be positioned at leastpartially, and more preferably substantially or entirely, within theinterior of the hollow coalescer. The separator is isolated from theupstream side of the coalescer.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, aliquid/liquid treatment arrangement for separating a discontinuous phaseliquid from a continuous phase liquid may comprise a hollow coalescerand a separator. The hollow coalescer may have an interior, a first openend and a second open end opposite the first open end. The separator maybe positioned at least partially, and more preferably substantially orentirely, within the interior of the hollow coalescer. The separator maybe isolated from the first open end or the second open end of thecoalescer.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, aliquid/liquid treatment arrangement for separating a discontinuous phaseliquid from a continuous phase liquid may comprise a coalescer and aseparator. The coalescer may have a coalescer medium. The separator mayhave a separator medium and a conical configuration, the conicalseparator pointing away from the coalescer.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, a method forseparating a discontinuous phase liquid from a continuous phase liquidmay comprise directing the continuous phase liquid from a coalescer in acurvilinear flow path to a separator.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, a method forseparating a discontinuous phase liquid from a continuous phase liquidmay comprise diverging the flow paths of the continuous phase liquidfrom the discontinuous phase liquid, including directing the continuousphase liquid along a curvilinear flow path.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, a method forseparating a discontinuous phase liquid from a continuous phase liquidmay comprise directing a mixture of the continuous phase liquid and thediscontinuous phase liquid into the interior of a hollow coalescer andinside-out from the upstream side of the coalescer to the downstreamside through a coalescer medium. The method may further comprisedirecting a continuous phase liquid into the interior of the hollowcoalescer and through a separator which is isolated from the upstreamside of the coalescer.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, a method forseparating a discontinuous phase liquid from a continuous phase liquidmay comprise directing a mixture of the continuous phase liquid and thediscontinuous phase liquid through a first open end of a hollowcoalescer and inside-out through a coalescer medium. The method mayfurther comprise directing the continuous phase liquid through anopposite open end of the hollow coalescer and through a separator whichis isolated from the first open end of the coalescer.

Embodiments of the present invention may include one or more of thesevarious aspects of the invention. Embodiments which include a flowdirector and/or which direct the continuous phase liquid in acurvilinear flow path provide many advantages. For example, thediscontinuous phase liquid may diverge from the flow path of thecontinuous phase liquid as the continuous phase liquid flows around aflow director and/or in a curvilinear flow path, for example, to aseparator. Consequently, the amount of discontinuous phase liquid whichcomes in the vicinity of, e.g., contacts, the separator may besignificantly reduced. Therefore, the separator may be mostly contactedby the continuous phase liquid and less contacted by the discontinuousphase liquid. Blockage of the separator by the discontinuous phaseliquid may be minimized and little, if any, discontinuous phase liquidmay be forced through the separator by the continuous phase liquid,greatly enhancing the separation efficiency and allowing smallerseparators and, therefore, smaller housings to be used.

Embodiments which include a conical separator may also provide severaladvantages, especially for liquids that have a high viscosity or similarspecific gravities. A conical separator may have a larger surface areathan, e.g., a planar, or flat, separator having a similar dimension.Further, a conical separator may provide a self-cleaning action thatsweeps any droplets of the discontinuous phase liquid away from thesloped surface of the separator. Thus, blockage of the separator by thediscontinuous phase liquid may be reduced, the separation efficiency maybe enhanced and smaller housings may be used.

Embodiments which include a separator disposed in the interior of acoalescer are also very advantageous. For example, the arrangement ofthe coalescer and the separator may be much more compact, e.g., shorter.Consequently, the housing may be much more compact.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a partial cross-section view of a fluid treatment system.

FIG. 2 is a partial cross-section view of another fluid treatmentsystem.

FIG. 3 is a partial cross-section view of another fluid treatmentsystem.

FIG. 4 is a partial cross-section view of another fluid treatmentsystem.

FIG. 5 is a partial cross-section view of another fluid treatmentsystem.

FIG. 6 is a partial cross-section view of another fluid treatmentsystem.

FIG. 7 is a partial cross-section view of another fluid treatmentsystem.

FIG. 8 is a partial cross-section view of another fluid treatmentsystem.

FIG. 9 is a partial cross-section view of another fluid treatmentsystem.

FIG. 10 is a partial cross section view of another fluid treatmentsystem.

FIG. 11 is a partial cross section view of another fluid treatmentsystem.

FIG. 12 is a partial cross section view of another fluid treatmentsystem.

FIG. 13 is a partial cross section view of another fluid treatmentsystem.

SPECIFIC DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present inventions may enhance the separation of immiscible liquidcomponents of a process fluid comprising a mixture of the components.For example, the present inventions may enhance separation of one ormore immiscible liquid components of the mixture, as the discontinuousphase, from one or more liquid components of the mixture, as thecontinuous phase.

One example of a fluid, or liquid/liquid, treatment system 1 isillustrated in FIG. 1. The fluid treatment system 1 may comprise ahousing or a vessel 10, one or more coalescers 30, and one or moreseparators 50. The housing or vessel 10 may include at least one inletand at least one outlet. Preferably, the housing 10 may include aprocess fluid inlet 11 and two or more outlets, e.g., a continuous phaseoutlet 12 and a discontinuous phase outlet 13, and defines liquid flowpaths from the process fluid inlet 11 to the continuous phase outlet 12and to the discontinuous phase outlet 13. The inlet and the outlets maybe arranged in any suitable place in the housing 10. Preferably, theinlet and outlets are arranged within the housing in locations suitableto facilitate the coalescing and separation operation.

The housing 10 may be divided by one or more partitions, such as a tubesheet 14 and/or a support plate 15, into chambers, such as a processfluid chamber 20, a coalesced liquid chamber 22, and a continuous phasechamber 21. The one or more partitions 14,15 may be fixed within thehousing or removable from the housing. The housing 10 may also compriseother parts or components such as, but not limited to, one or morevents; valves, such as pressure relief valves; fittings, e.g., forpressure, temperature, and/or flow meters; and backwashing or blowbackmechanisms (not shown). The housing 10 may include a removable cover 17,such as a swing-around cover, or a non-removable cover.

The housing or vessel 10 may comprise any housing or vessel suitable fora particular fluid treatment operation. The housing 10 may comprise anyof various shapes and sizes, and may be amenable to accommodate a singlecoalescer 30 and/or a single separator 50 or a plurality of coalescers30 and/or a plurality of separators 50. Preferably, the housing 10 issubstantially cylindrical in shape and has a longitudinal axis; however,any suitable shape that facilitates separation and houses the variousfluid treatment arrangements may be employed. The housing may include aslant or slope, such as, a slanted or sloped partition or wall toassist, for example, in the removal of any settled or pooled liquid.Such a structure may comprise a wall of the housing or partition withinthe housing. The longitudinal axis of the housing may have any suitableorientation, for example, vertical, horizontal, or any suitable angle inbetween. “Horizontal” may include any configuration of housings,coalescers, and separators where the average direction of the principalaxis of the element is more horizontal than vertical. “Vertical” mayinclude any configuration of housings, coalescers, and separators wherethe average direction of the principal axis of the element is morevertical than horizontal. FIG. 1 shows an example of a vertical housing10 and FIG. 8 shows an example of a horizontal housing 710. Preferably,the housing may be dimensioned and/or oriented to gravitationally and/orfluid-dynamically assist the coalescing and/or separating operation.

The housing 10 may comprise any suitable material which is capable ofproviding sufficient structural integrity for the particular coalescingand separating operation and which will not adversely react with liquidsbeing processed or hinder the separation operation. The housing 10 maybe, for example, a plastic or a metal. Preferably, the housing comprisesa metal, even more preferably a non-reactive metal. The housing may, forexample, comprise a stainless steel and/or a carbon steel. The housingmay be constructed such that it remains structurally stable in thepresence of high pressures, temperatures, and/or flow rates. The housing10 may further comprise any suitable design, material, or constructioncharacteristics or any components or combinations, for example, asdescribed in International Publication No. WO 97/38781.

Each coalescer 30 may be arranged in any suitable configuration withinthe housing. For example, the coalescer 30 may be arranged axiallyparallel to the axis of the housing, either along or offset from theaxis of the housing. In the case of more than one coalescer 30, anyspacing between the coalescers 30 suitable for coalescence may be used.For example, the coalescers 30 may be spaced closely to one another orspaced further apart. The coalescers 30 may be directly attached to thehousing 10, e.g., via a partition 15, such as a tube sheet or supportplate, or via stand-off tubes 16.

Two or more coalescer cartridges may be joined together in open-end toopen-end relation to increase the length of the coalescer 30. Forexample, two coalescer cartridges may be joined by joiner end caps oropen end caps. Further, if more than one coalescer 30 is placed within ahousing 10, the coalescers 30 may have substantially equal lengths ormay be unequal in length. For example, one coalescer 30 may include onlyone coalescer cartridge and another coalescer 30 may include more thanone coalescer cartridge.

The coalescer 30 may comprise any type of coalescer suitable for aparticular fluid treatment operation. For example, the coalescer 30 maycomprise any suitable material, shape, or configuration to effectuatethe coalescence of the discontinuous phase liquid. The coalescer 30 maycomprise a substantially cylindrical, planar, polygonal, or conicalconfiguration. While any suitable configuration or shape may be used,the coalescer 30 preferably has a hollow, cylindrical configuration.

The coalescer 30 may comprise any of various components. For example,the coalescer 30 may comprise a coalescer medium 32, one or more endcaps 34, 35, an inner support structure 33, and/or an outer supportstructure 31. If more than one end cap is included, at least one of afirst end cap 34 and a second end cap 35 may be open to allow liquid toflow through the end cap to or from the interior of the coalescer 30 andat least one of the first end cap 34 and the second end cap 35 may beclosed or blinded to prevent liquid from flowing through the end cap. Inthe illustrated embodiment of FIG. 1, the first end cap 34 may be open,fluidly communicating the upstream side, e.g., the interior, of thecoalescer 30 through an opening in the tube sheet 14 with the processfluid chamber 20 and the process fluid inlet 11. The second end cap 35may be closed. The inner support structure 33 may comprise a perforatedcore and the outer support structure 31 may comprise a cage. The innerand outer support structures may be perforated, permeable, foraminous,or any suitable configuration that directs and/or allows liquid to flowtherethrough. The coalescer 30 may also include, but is not limited to,one or more of an alignment element, a sealing collar, a fastener, afinal classifier, and a perforated wrap. The coalescer 30 may furtherinclude a permanent or removable filter element (not shown). Thecoalescer 30 may be permanently fixed within the housing 10, orpreferably, the coalescer 30 may be removably associated within thehousing 10, e.g., removably mounted to the tube sheet 14. The coalescer30 may be disposable and/or cleanable.

The coalescer medium 32 may comprise any material suitable for acoalescer in an application for which the coalescer is employed. Forexample, the coalescer medium 32 may comprise any porous structure whichforms small immiscible discontinuous liquid particles or droplets intolarger droplets. The coalescer medium 32 may comprise fibrous materials,such as a fibrous mass, fibrous mats, woven or non-woven fibrous sheets;may comprise porous membranes such as supported or non-supportedmicroporous membranes; or may comprise a mesh or screen. The coalescermedium 32 may comprise inorganic or organic fibers or filaments.Exemplary organic fibers may include polymeric fibers or microfibersmade from, for example, polyolefins (e.g., polyethylene), polyesters(e.g., polyethylene terephthalate), polyamides (e.g., nylon),fluoropolymers, and copolymers, mixtures, and blends thereof. Inorganicfibers may include fibers such as glass or metal fibers, such as metaltitanates, e.g., potassium titanate. The coalescer medium 32 may includea surface treatment such as a coating or a surface modifying treatment.The coalescer medium 32 may have or may be modified to have any desiredcritical wetting surface tension (CWST). For example, the CWST may beintermediate the surface tensions of the continuous phase anddiscontinuous phase liquid components. In particular, the CWST may bebetween the surface tensions of the continuous phase liquid and thediscontinuous phase liquid. CWST, in units of dynes/cm, may be definedas the mean value of the surface tension of a liquid which is absorbedand that of a liquid of neighboring surface tension which is notabsorbed into the surface of the medium. CWST is defined, for example,in U.S. Pat. No. 5,443,724 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,480,547, both of whichare herein incorporated by reference. The coalescer medium 32 may have auniform or graded pore structure and any appropriate and/or effectivepore size. Preferably the coalescer medium 32 includes a graded poresize that increases from the upstream side to the downstream side. Forexample, the pore size may be graded in a stepwise or continuous manner,e.g., where the pore size increases from the upstream to the downstreamside of the coalescer medium 32. The coalescer 32 medium may beconfigured in a non-pleated or a pleated arrangement. When the coalescermedium 32 is pleated, the pleats may be straight, radially extendingfrom the axis of the coalescer, or they may be arranged as set forth inU.S. Pat. No. 5,543,047. The coalescer 30 may be any suitable sizeappropriate for the types of liquid components being separated and theparticular processing conditions, such as, flow rates, temperatures, andpressures. The coalescer 30 may further comprise any suitable design,material, construction features, or any components as described inInternational Publication No. WO 97/38781, U.S. Pat. No. 4,759,782 andU.S. Pat. No. 5,480,547, and International Publication No. WO 98/14257,all incorporated herein by reference.

Each separator 50 may be arranged in any suitable configuration within ahousing 10. For example, the separator 50 may be arranged axiallyparallel to the axis of the housing, either along or off-set from theaxis of the housing. The separator 50 may be directly attached to thehousing 10, e.g., via a partition, such as a support plate or tubesheet, or via a stand-off tube 16.

Two or more separator cartridges may be joined together in open-end toopen-end relation to increase the length of the separator 50. Forexample, two separator cartridges may be joined by joiner end caps oropen end caps. Further, when there is more than one separator 50, theseparators 50 may have substantially equal lengths or may have unequallengths. For example, one separator 50 may include only one separatorcartridge and another separator 50 may include more than one separatorcartridge.

The separator 50 may comprise a wide variety of suitable materials,shapes, or configurations to promote the separation of the discontinuousphase liquid from the continuous phase liquid. For example, theseparator 50 may preferably be hollow. The separator 50 may comprise asubstantially cylindrical configuration, a conical configuration, suchas a truncated right circular conical or a frusto-conical configuration,or a planar configuration, such as a polygonal, annular, disc-shaped,quoit-shaped, or a toroid-shaped configuration. A disc-shapedconfiguration may comprise a right circular cylinder whose length issmall compared with its diameter. A quoit-shaped configuration maycomprise a flat, centrally bored, right circular cone shape. Atoroid-shaped configuration may comprise a ring-like body. The separator50 may also include a planar, slanted, and/or sloped configuration.Further, the separator 50 may be any suitable size appropriate for thetypes of liquid components being separated and the particular processingconditions, such as, flow rates, temperatures, and pressures.

The separator 50 may comprise any of various components including, forexample, one or more end caps 54, 55, an inner support structure 53, anouter support structure 51, and/or a separator medium 52. In the casewhere the separator 50 comprises two end caps, at least one of a firstend cap 55 and a second end cap 54 may be open to allow liquid to flowthrough the end cap and at least one of the first end cap 55 and thesecond end cap 54 may be closed to prevent liquid from flowing throughthe end cap. In the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 1, the first end cap55 may be closed or blinded and the second end cap 54 may be open,fluidly communicating the downstream side of the separator 50 through anopening in the stand-off tube 16 with the continuous phase liquidchamber 21 and the continuous phase outlet 12. The inner supportstructure 53 may comprise a perforated core and the outer supportstructure 51 may comprise a cage. The inner and outer support structuresmay be perforated, permeable, foraminous, or any suitable configurationthat directs and/or allows fluid to flow therethrough. The separator 50may be permanently fixed within the housing 10, or preferably, theseparator may be removably associated within the housing 10. Theseparator 50 may be disposable and/or cleanable.

The separator medium 52 may comprise any type of medium suitable forallowing passage of the continuous phase liquid while resisting passageof a discontinuous phase liquid. For example, the separator medium 52may be arranged such that the continuous phase liquid wets the separatormedium 52 and the discontinuous phase liquid does not wet the separatormedium 52. The separator medium 52 may comprise any of variousmaterials, for example, liquiphobic materials, such as hydrophobic oroleophobic materials, and/or may have a surface modification treatment,such as a coating. For many applications in which water is thediscontinuous phase liquid, the separator preferably comprises ahydrophobic medium. The separator medium 52 may comprise, for example, acoated stainless steel screen or a pleated fibrous pack. Preferably, theseparator medium 52 comprises a polyester woven or nonwoven screen,which may be treated with a surface treatment, such as one availableunder the trade designation REPEL available from Pall Corporation, or aTeflon® coated screen, a hydrophobic paper, or a woven fluoropolymerscreen. The separator medium 52 may have a uniform or graded porestructure and any appropriate effective pore size. The pore size may beany suitable size to effectuate separation and the pores may beregularly or irregularly spaced, shaped, or sized. Preferably, thenominal pore size of the separator medium 52 is smaller than the size ofthe coalesced discontinuous phase liquid droplets. For example, the porerating of the separator medium 52 may be about 1001μ or less, or 401μ orless or 20μ or less or 10μ or less, e.g., 8-10μ. The separator 50 mayfurther comprise any suitable design, material, or constructioncharacteristics or any components or combinations, such as thosedescribed in International Publication No. WO 97/38781 or U.S. Pat. No.5,443,724.

There are various ways in which the coalescer 30 and the separator 50may be arranged. For example, the coalescer 30 and the separator 50 maybe positioned in a vertically stacked arrangement, for example, whereinthe coalescer 30 and the separator 50 are positioned end-to-end alongtheir axes as shown, for example, in FIG. 1. Another suitablearrangement may comprise a horizontally orientated coalescer and ahorizontally oriented separator within a housing, for example, where ahorizontal coalescer is positioned above or below a horizontal separatoras shown, for example, in FIG. 8. In an arrangement where the coalescerand separator are stacked vertically and where the continuous phaseliquid is less dense than the discontinuous phase liquid, the coalescer30 is preferably positioned above the separator 50. In an embodimentwhere the discontinuous phase liquid is less dense than the continuousphase liquid, the coalescer 30 is preferably positioned below theseparator 50. On the other hand, in an arrangement where the coalescerand the separator are stacked horizontally and where the continuousphase liquid is less dense than the discontinuous phase liquid, theseparator is preferably positioned above the coalescer.

The coalescer 30 and separator 50 may be arranged along the same axis oralong different or off-set axes from themselves and/or one another. Inan embodiment where coalescers 30 and separators 50 are arranged alongthe same axis, a coalescer 30 may be joined together in end-to-endrelation with a separator 50. For example, a blind end cap of acoalescer 30 may be associated with, e.g., abut, a blind end cap of aseparator 50, such that the coalescer 30 and separator 50 are joined ina closed-end to closed-end relation.

The ratio of coalescers 30 to separators 50 within the housing may be1:1, or there may be more coalescers 30 than separators 50 or moreseparators 50 than coalescers 30. Further, one or more coalescers 30 maybe vertically arranged above or below a plurality of separators 50, orone or more separators 50 may be arranged below or above a plurality ofcoalescers 30. Where more than one coalescer 30 is used, the coalescers30 may have the same diameter, width, and length as each other, or mayhave different diameters, widths, and lengths from one another. Wheremore than one separator 50 is used, the separators 50 may have the samediameter, width, and/or length as each other, or may have differentdiameters, widths, and/or lengths from one another. For example, thediameter, width, and/or length of the coalescers 30 and separators 50may be the same as or different from one another. Further somecoalescers 30 and some separators 50 may have the same diameter, width,and/or length as one another, while others may have different diameters,widths, or lengths from one another.

Flow through the coalescer 30 and the separator 50 may be outside-inflow through the coalescer 30 and inside-out flow through the separator50. Preferably, flow through the coalescer 30 is inside-out, and flowthrough the separator 50 is outside-in. However, any suitableoperational flow-through arrangement may be employed. For example, flowmay be inside-out for all of the coalescers and separators, or flow maybe outside-in for all of the coalescers and separators, depending on theconfiguration and arrangement of the coalescers and the separators inthe housing.

In the discussion of the illustrated embodiments, arrangements suitablefor a discontinuous phase liquid which is denser than continuous phaseliquid are shown, and many of these embodiments, especially the verticalembodiments, preferably have the coalescer positioned above theseparator. However, the inventions are not limited to these embodimentsor arrangements. The inventions may also be applicable to otherarrangements, including the inverse of the described and illustratedarrangements, e.g., wherein the discontinuous phase liquid is less densethan the continuous phase liquid and the coalescer is positioned belowthe separator. Some alternative embodiments are described in detail andthese embodiments illustrate many alternative features. The inventionsmay cover any combination of these and additional features.

The exemplary fluid treatment system 1 shown in FIG. 1 illustrates apreferred configuration where the process fluid comprises an immisciblemixture including a discontinuous phase liquid and a continuous phaseliquid which is less dense than the discontinuous phase liquid. In thisembodiment, one or more coalescers 30 and one or more separators 50 aredisposed within a housing or vessel 10 with the coalescers 30 above theseparators 50. Process fluid entering the system 1 may enter the housingor vessel 10 through the process fluid inlet 11 and pass to the interiorof the housing in the process fluid chamber 20. The tube sheet 14 maycontain one or more openings directly associated with one or more opencoalescer end caps 34, allowing fluid to flow from the process fluidchamber 20 into the interior of each hollow coalescer 30.

The process fluid may then flow through the coalescer 30 from theupstream side, e.g., the interior, to the downstream side, e.g., theexterior, of the coalescer 30, where the small particles or droplets ofthe discontinuous phase liquid in the process fluid are coalesced toform larger droplets. The coalesced discontinuous phase liquid and thecontinuous phase liquid passing through the coalescer 30 may enter thecoalesced liquid chamber 22. The discontinuous phase liquid, the densercomponent, may pass to a lower portion of the coalesced liquid chamber22, which may be formed by a wall of the housing 10 or a partition 15,such as a support plate. The discontinuous phase liquid may then exitthe housing 10 through the discontinuous phase outlet 13 which may belocated in a wall of the coalesced liquid chamber 22.

The continuous phase liquid passes from the coalesced liquid chamber 22through the separator medium 52 of the separator 50 from the upstreamside, e.g., the exterior, to the downstream side, e.g., the interior, ofthe separator 50, while the separator medium 52 resists passage of anydiscontinuous phase liquid. From the separator 50, the continuous phaseliquid passes through the stand-off tube 16 and through the one or moreopenings in the partition 15, such as a support plate, and into thecontinuous phase chamber 21. The continuous phase liquid may then exitthe housing 10 through the continuous phase outlet 12 in fluidcommunication with the continuous phase chamber 21.

To reduce the amount of discontinuous phase liquid which passes in thevicinity of the separator 50 or contacts the separator 50, the separator50 may be positioned on the stand off tube 16 above the lower portion ofthe coalesced liquid chamber 22, and/or the separator 50 may have a CWSTwhich resists passage of the discontinuous phase liquid. However, inaccordance with a first aspect of the invention, a flow director 70 maybe arranged with the housing 10, the coalescer 30 and/or the separator50 to even more effectively enhance the separation of the continuous anddiscontinuous phase liquids, for example, to further reduce the amountof discontinuous phase liquid which passes in the vicinity of, e.g.,contacts, the separator 50.

The flow director 70 is preferably cooperatively arranged to direct atleast a portion or, preferably, all of the continuous phase liquid in acurvilinear flow path. A curvilinear flow path includes any flow paththat is not straight. Preferably, a curvilinear flow path includes abend, e.g., a bend toward the separator. The continuous phase liquid maybe directed along one or more than one curvilinear flow path. Forexample, all of the continuous phase liquid may flow along the samecurvilinear flow path, or a portion of the continuous phase liquid mayflow along one curvilinear flow path while a different portion may flowalong a second curvilinear flow path. Further, there may be a variety ofcurvilinear flow paths through which portions of continuous phase liquidmay flow.

The flow director 70 may thus enhance separation of a discontinuousphase liquid from a continuous phase liquid by diverging the flow pathsof the continuous phase liquid from the discontinuous phase liquid,e.g., by directing the continuous phase liquid along a curvilinear flowpath toward the separator 50 and by diverging the discontinuous phaseliquid from the curvilinear flow path away from the separator 50. Theflow director 70 may be cooperatively arranged with a separator 50 todirect continuous phase liquid in a curvilinear flow path to theupstream surface of the separator 50 and/or the flow director 70 may becooperatively arranged with a coalescer 30 to direct continuous phaseliquid in a curvilinear flow path away from the downstream surface ofthe coalescer. Preferably, the flow director 70 is positioned between acoalescer 30 and a separator 50, e.g., between the downstream side ofthe coalescer 30 and the upstream side of the separator 50, to directcontinuous phase liquid in a curvilinear flow path from a downstreamsurface of the coalescer 30 to an upstream surface of the separator 50,the discontinuous phase liquid diverging from the curvilinear flow path,for example, to the lower portion of the coalesced liquid chamber 22.The discontinuous phase liquid may diverge from the continuous phaseliquid for a variety of reasons, e.g., due to projectile motion,gravitational forces, inertial forces, and/or other fluid dynamics.

The flow director 70 may be cooperatively arranged, for example, withone or more of the separator 50, the coalescer 30, and the housing 10.Depending on the direction of flow through the coalescer 30 andseparator 50, the flow director 70 may be positioned at the exterior ofthe separator 50, near the interior the separator 50, near the exteriorof the coalescer 30, near the interior of the coalescer 30, and/orbetween the downstream side of the coalescer 30 and the upstream side ofthe separator 50. The flow director 70 may be removably or permanentlyfixed in any arrangement suitable to facilitate separation. For example,the flow director 70 may be directly associated with a coalescer end cap35, a separator end cap 55, or between a coalescer end cap 35 and aseparator end cap 55. The flow director may be directly associated witha coalescer 30 and/or a separator 50 by being permanently or removablyattached, fixed, bonded, welded, adhered, or any suitable means ofassociating. Further, the flow director may be directly associated viaan intermediary piece or connection, such as via a gasket or a flange.Preferably, flow director 70 and at least one of and, even morepreferably, both of the coalescer 30 and the separator 50 arepermanently or removably attached to one another to form an integralunit that can be easily mounted to and removed from the housing 10.Further, the flow director 70 may be indirectly associated with thecoalescer 30 and/or the separator 50 by being mounted to or, part of,the housing 10 and/or any structural member within the housing 10, suchas a flow diverting partition, barrier, or wall.

The flow director 70 may comprise a wide variety of materials, shapes,positions, and orientations. For example, the flow director 70 may beoriented in any suitable way to direct the continuous phase fluid in acurvilinear flow path. The flow director 70 may be arranged to extend ina planar configuration. For example, the flow director 70 may besubstantially perpendicular to the axis of the coalescer 30 and/or theseparator 50. Alternatively, the flow director 70 may have a hollowconfiguration, e.g., a hollow conical or cylindrical configuration. Theflow director 70 may be arranged to surround the exterior of thecoalescer 30 and/or the separator 50, e.g., as a skirt or shroud, oralign along the interior of the coalescer 30 and/or the separator 50.Further, the flow director 70 may extend along part of, all of, or morethan the axial length of the coalescer 30 and/or separator 50. Thus, thelength of the flow director 70 may be shorter than, equal to, or longerthan, the length of the separator 50 and/or coalescer 30. For example,the flow director 70 may extend longitudinally along the upstreamsurface of the separator 50 about 25% or more of the length of theseparator 50, e.g., about 50% or more, about 80% or more, about 90% ormore, about 95% or more, or about 100% or more of the length of theseparator 50.

The flow director 70 may be spaced from the upstream surface of theseparator 50 or the downstream surface of the coalescer 30 to form a gapbetween itself and the separator 50 and/or coalescer 30. The flowdirector 70 may extend along the separator 50 or coalescer 30 at anysuitable angle from the axis of the separator 50 or coalescer 30. Forexample, the flow director 70 may extend at an angle from about 0degrees or greater to about 180 degrees or less from the central axis ofthe separator 50 and/or the central axis of the coalescer 30. The gapmay thus be uniform or tapered along the length of the separator 50 orcoalescer 30.

The flow director 70 may comprise any suitable shape to direct thecontinuous phase liquid in a curvilinear flow path. For example, theflow director 70 may comprise a substantially cylindrical, hollowconfiguration. The flow director 70 may comprise a substantiallyconical, hollow configuration, such as a truncated right circularconical or a frusto-conical configuration. The flow director 70 may havea closed end and an open end which may be spaced farther from thecoalescer 30 than the closed end and may open away from the coalescer30. The flow director 70 may comprise a polygonal, including circular,configuration, such as an annular, disc-shaped, quoit-shaped, or atoroid-shaped configuration. The flow director 70 may also include aplanar, slanted, and/or sloped configuration, such as a barrier orpartition. Further, the flow director 70 may be any regular or irregularshape. An irregular shape may comprise, for example, a helmet-shape orany variations of the above-described shapes, such as corrugated orincluding furrows.

The flow director 70 may include one or more portions suitable to directthe continuous phase liquid in a curvilinear flow path. For example, theflow director 70 may comprise a surface 71 and an edge 72. The flowdirector 70 is preferably suitable to allow the continuous phase liquidand the discontinuous phase liquid to flow along or to move past thesurface 71. Further, the flow director 70 is preferably constructed todirect the continuous phase liquid in a curvilinear flow path, such thatthe curvilinear flow path may bend around the edge 72. The flow director70 may bend the flow of all or at least a portion of the continuousphase liquid from the coalescer 30 back to the separator 50 through oneor more bends. Each bend may be in the range from greater than about 0degree to about 360 degrees or more. Preferably, the bend may compriseabout 90 degrees or greater, about 180 degrees or greater, about 220degrees or greater, or about 360 degrees or more. The flow director 70may direct discontinuous phase flow away from the separator 50, e.g., bydiverging the discontinuous phase flow from the continuous phase flow ator near the edge 72 of the flow director 70.

The flow director 70 may comprise any suitable material compatible witha particular fluid treatment operation. For example, the flow director70 preferably comprises an impervious material, such as an imperviousmetal or plastic material. However, the flow director 70 may comprise aporous, permeable, semi-permeable, or perforated material that allowsthe passage of some liquid through it, while directing a substantialportion of the continuous phase liquid along a curvilinear flow path tothe separator 50 and a substantial portion or all of the discontinuousphase liquid away from the separator 50.

Liquid passing from the downstream side of the coalescer 30 may pass byand/or contact the flow director 70 and flow or drain along the flowdirector surface 71. The continuous phase liquid preferably flows alongthe curvilinear flow path and bends around the flow director 70 to andthrough the separator medium 52 of the separator 50. The discontinuousphase liquid may continue flowing past the edge 72 of the flow director70 and away from the vicinity of the separator 50, e.g., to the lowerportion of the coalesced liquid chamber 22 if the discontinuous phaseliquid is denser than the continuous phase (or to the upper portion ofthe coalesced liquid chamber 22 if the discontinuous phase liquid isless dense).

There are many advantages associated with using a flow director in aliquid/liquid treatment system. In particular, a flow director mayminimize the amount of discontinuous phase liquid that comes in thevicinity of, e.g., into contact with, the separator. Therefore, theseparator may be mostly contacted by the continuous phase liquid andless contacted by the discontinuous phase liquid, greatly enhancing theseparation efficiency. Further, the chance that the separator may becomeblinded by the discontinuous phase liquid is significantly reduced.Production times may be lengthened, without any shut-down periods beingnecessary for draining the discontinuous phase liquid from theseparator. Further, a smaller separator may be used, which, in turn, mayallow a smaller housing, thus reducing the overall equipment andmanufacturing costs.

In FIG. 1, a flow director 70 is illustrated as comprising a conicalconfiguration while the separator 50, including the separator medium 52,has a hollow cylindrical configuration. The flow director 70 is spacedfrom and extends axially along the exterior of a separator 50, which maybe along the upstream surface of the separator 50, forming a gap 73between the flow director 70 and the separator 50. The gap 73 may betapered, the open end of the gap 73 being larger than the closed end.For example, the diameter of the flow director 70 at the edge 72 may beup to about 25% greater or more than the diameter of the separator 50,while the diameter at the closed end of the flow director 70 may beabout equal to the diameter of the separator 50. Further, in thisembodiment, the flow director 70 may be directly associated with thecoalescer 30 or the separator 50. For example, the flow director may bemounted to or part of the blind coalescer end cap 35 or the blindseparator end cap 55, or may be mounted within the housing between thecoalescer 30 and the separator 50. The flow director 70 may extend belowa lower end of the separator 50 such that the edge 72 of the flowdirector is shown to extend beyond the length of the separator 50.

From the downstream surface of the coalescer 30, the coalesceddiscontinuous phase liquid and the continuous phase liquid flow past theflow director 70. Near the edge 72 of the flow director 70, thecontinuous phase liquid flows along a curvilinear flow path to theseparator 50 and through the separator medium 52. The continuous phaseliquid flow bends under the edge 72 of the flow director 70 and entersthe tapered gap 73 between the flow director 70 and the separator 50, asindicated by the arrows in FIG. 1. The heavier discontinuous phaseliquid generally diverges from the continuous phase liquid flow path.Rather than following the curvilinear flow path of the continuous phaseliquid, the discontinuous phase liquid may generally pass to the lowerportion of the coalesced liquid chamber 22 and hence through thediscontinuous phase outlet 13. Consequently, the amount of discontinuousphase liquid in the vicinity of the separator 50, e.g., in the gap 73,is significantly reduced. With less discontinuous phase liquid in thevicinity of the separator 50, the continuous phase liquid passes easilythrough the separator 50 without carrying or forcing significantamounts, if any, of the discontinuous phase liquid along with it. Fromthe interior, e.g., the downstream side, of the separator 50, thecontinuous phase liquid passes through the stand-off tube 16 into thecontinuous phase chamber 22 and hence through the continuous phaseoutlet 12.

Another fluid, or liquid/liquid, treatment system 100 is shown in FIG.2. This system preferably includes many elements, such as a housing (notshown), coalescer 130, flow director 170 and separator 150, which mayhave one or more of any of the features described with respect to theother embodiments, especially the embodiment shown in FIG. 1. Forexample, the housing may include a tube sheet 114, a support plate 115and a process fluid chamber 120; the coalescer 130 may include acoalescer medium 132, an open end cap 134 and a blind end cap 135; theseparator 150 may include an open end cap 154 and a closed end cap 155;and the flow director 170 may include a surface 171. (Elements of oneillustrated system which generally correspond to elements of anotherillustrated system may be identified by reference numerals having thesame last two digits.) In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the flowdirector 70 is generally conical and extends axially beyond theseparator. However, a flow director is not limited to these features.For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the flow director 170 may comprise acylindrical configuration and may be spaced from and extend along theexterior of a cylindrical separator 150 only a part of the length of theseparator 150, the flow director 170 being shorter than the separator150. For example, the flow director 70 may extend from less than about25% to less than 100% of the length of the separator 50. A uniform gap173 may be formed between the separator 150 and the flow director 170instead of a tapered gap. Again, the flow director 170 may be directlyassociated with any of the coalescer 130, the separator 150, or thehousing.

Flow of the continuous phase liquid and the discontinuous phase liquidmay be similar to that described with respect to the other embodiments,especially the embodiment shown in FIG. 1. The continuous phase liquidmay flow from the downstream surface of the coalescer 130 in acurvilinear flow path around the edge 172 of the flow director 170 tocontact the separator 150. The continuous phase liquid may then flowthrough the separator medium 152 of the separator 150 beyond, e.g.,below, the edge 172 of the flow director 170 or it may flow into the gap173 and then through the separator medium 152 of the separator 150. Thecontinuous phase liquid may then pass through the stand-off tube 116into the continuous phase chamber 121 and hence to the continuous phaseoutlet (not shown). The flow of discontinuous phase liquid may divergefrom the curvilinear flow path of the continuous phase liquid, e.g., atthe edge 172 of the flow director 170, flowing away from the separator150 to the lower portion of the coalesced liquid chamber 122.

Another fluid, or liquid/liquid, treatment system 200 is illustrated inFIG. 3. This system also preferably includes many elements, such as ahousing (not shown), coalescer 230, and separator 250, which may haveone or more of any of the features described with respect to the otherembodiments. For example, the housing may include a tube sheet 214 and aprocess fluid chamber 220, the coalescer 230 may include a coalescermedium 232, and the flow director 270 may include a surface 271.However, the flow director 270 shown in FIG. 3 has a substantiallyplanar configuration, extending outward from the coalescer 230 andseparator 250, e.g., at about 90 degrees to the axis of the coalescer230 and/or the separator 250. The flow director 270 may comprise acircular configuration, such as an annular or disc-shaped configuration.Alternatively, the flow director 270 may comprise any other polygonalconfiguration or a toroidal, quoit, sloped, slanted, and/or irregularconfiguration. The flow director 270 may have a diameter up to about 25%or more greater than the diameter of the coalescer and/or separator. Theflow director 270 may be associated with the coalescer 230, theseparator 250, or the housing.

Flow of the continuous phase liquid and discontinuous phase liquid maybe similar to that described with respect to the other embodiments. Thecontinuous phase liquid, represented by the arrows in FIG. 3, may flowfrom the downstream surface of the coalescer 230 in a curvilinear flowpath to bend around the flow director edge 272 back to and through theseparator medium 252 of the separator 250. From the separator 250, thecontinuous phase liquid may flow through the stand-off tube 216 into thecontinuous phase chamber (not shown) and hence to the continuous phaseoutlet (not shown). The discontinuous phase liquid, represented bydroplets in FIG. 3, may flow from the downstream surface of thecoalescer 230, diverge from the curvilinear path of the continuous phaseliquid and pass to the lower portion of the coalesced liquid chamber 222and hence to the discontinuous phase outlet (not shown).

Another fluid, or liquid/liquid, treatment system 300 is illustrated inFIG. 4. This system also preferably includes many elements, such as ahousing (not shown), coalescer 330, flow director 370, and separator350, which may have one or more of any of the features described withrespect to the other embodiments, especially the embodiments shown inFIG. 1 and FIG. 2. For example, the housing may include a process fluidchamber 320, the coalescer 330 may include a coalescer medium 332extending between an open end cap 334 and a blind end cap 335, and theflow director 370 may include a surface 371. However, the separator 350,including the separator medium 352, preferably comprises a hollow,substantially conical configuration, as shown in FIG. 4. The separator350 is preferably tapered in a vertical direction. For example, the apexof the conical separator preferably points downward in a system designedfor a discontinuous phase liquid which is denser or heavier than thecontinuous phase liquid (or upward for a system designed for a lessdense or lighter discontinuous phase liquid). Conical separators arementioned in API/IP Specification No. 1582, “Specification forSimilarity for API/IP 1581 Aviation Jet Fuel Filter/Separators,”published jointly by The American Petroleum Institute and the Instituteof Petroleum, London, UK, February, 2001.

A conically configured separator, especially a conically configured,nonpleated separator, may have many advantages. For example, the conicalconfiguration may provide a larger surface area in the liquid flow pathof the continuous phase liquid, e.g., a larger surface area within theenvelope defined by a flow director. Further, a conical configurationmay provide a self-cleaning action. This self cleaning action may behighly advantageous for separating liquid mixtures wherein thecontinuous phase liquid has a high viscosity (e.g., a viscosity greaterthan or equal to about 10 centipoise, such as ≧20, ≧30, ≧35 or ≧40centipoise) or wherein the continuous phase liquid and the discontinuousphase liquid have similar specific gravities. Any droplet of thediscontinuous phase liquid which reaches the sloped surface of a conicalseparator medium may experience a net force which sweeps the dropletaway from the surface of the separator. While the beneficial effect of asloped surface may be observed at many angles, a more preferred anglefor the surface is in the range from about 15° to about 75°, morepreferably about 20° to about 70°, more preferably about 30° to about60°, e.g., more preferably about 45°, to the axis of the separator.

The flow director 370 may have any suitable configuration. For example,the flow director 370 may have a cylindrical configuration, forming atapered gap 373 between the flow director 370 and the conical separator350, or a conical configuration, forming, for example, a uniform gap.The flow director 370 may extend axially less then, equal to or greaterthan the length of the separator 350 and may have a diameter greaterthan the coalescer 330 and/or separator 350. Preferably, the diameter ofthe flow director 370 is less than or equal to the diameter of thecoalescer 330, e.g., less than or equal to the diameter of the open endcap 334 of the coalescer 330, and the coalescer 330 and the flowdirector 370 are arranged generally coaxially. The coalescer 330, flowdirector 370, and separator 350 may then be attached to one another andmounted, for example, as an integral unit to the housing, e.g., throughan opening in the tube sheet 314.

Flow of the continuous phase liquid and the discontinuous phase liquidmay be similar to that described with respect to the other embodiments,especially the embodiments shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2. The continuousphase liquid, represented by the arrows in FIG. 4, flows from thedownstream surface of the coalescer 330 in a curvilinear flow patharound the flow director edge 372 into the tapered gap 373 to theupstream surface of the separator 350 and through the separator medium352. From the downstream side of the separator 350, the continuous phaseliquid may flow through the stand-off tube 316 into the continuous phasechamber (not shown) and hence to the continuous phase outlet (notshown). The discontinuous phase liquid may flow past the flow director370, diverging from the curvilinear path of the continuous phase liquidand away from the separator 350 to the lower portion of the coalescedliquid chamber 322, and then pass to the discontinuous phase outlet (notshown).

Another fluid, or liquid/liquid, treatment system 400 is illustrated inFIG. 5. This system also preferably includes many elements, such as ahousing (not shown), coalescer 430, flow director 470 and separator 450,which may have one or more of any of the features described with respectto the other embodiments. For example, the housing may include a tubesheet 414 and a process fluid chamber 420, the coalescer 430 may includea coalescer medium 432 extending between an open end cap 434 and a blindend cap 435, and the flow director 470 may include a surface 471. Theseparator may have a hollow cylindrical or a hollow conicalconfiguration, e.g., with the apex of the conical separator pointing upor down. However, in FIG. 5, the separator 450 may have a generallypolygonal geometry, such as circular, square, hexagonal or octagonal,and a substantially planar configuration, such as an annular,disc-shaped, quoit-shaped, or toroid-shaped configuration. Further, theseparator 450 may comprise a slanted or sloped configuration. The flowdirector 470 may extend in the liquid flow path between the coalescer430 and the separator 450 and may have any suitable configuration aspreviously described. The flow director 470 is shown as having asubstantially cylindrical configuration and a diameter less than orsubstantially equal to the diameter of the coalescer 430.

In the illustrated embodiment, the separator medium 452 of the separator450 has a generally planar, disc-shaped configuration and may bepositioned within the flow director 450 substantially perpendicular tothe axis of the flow director 470. The flow director 470 and theseparator 450 are preferably joined at an open end of the flow director470 near the edge 472 of the flow director 470 either permanently orwith a removable seal 457 to prevent bypass around the separator 450.The opposite end of the flow director 470 may be closed by a blind endof the flow director 470 or by a blind end of the coalescer 430,defining a space 474 inside the flow director 470 downstream of theseparator medium 452. The separator 450 may include a fitting 458defining an opening 460 in which the stand-off tube (not shown) may bemounted. The separator 450 may be sealed to the fitting 458. Theinterior space 474 downstream of the separator 450 fluidly communicateswith the stand-off tube via the opening 460, and an O-ring or other seal456 is preferably positioned in removable sealing engagement between thefitting 458 of the separator 450 and the stand-off tube.

Flow of the continuous phase liquid and the discontinuous phase liquidmay be similar to that described with respect to the other embodiments.The continuous phase liquid may flow from the downstream surface of thecoalescer 430 in a curvilinear flow path around the flow director edge472 through the separator medium 452 of the separator 450 into theinterior space 474. While the flow director 470 is preferablyimpervious, the flow director 470 may comprise a material which resistsor prevents flow of the discontinuous phase liquid but is permeable tothe continuous phase liquid. Thus, continuous phase liquid may flowdirectly through the flow director 470 and/or along the curvilinear pathby making a bend around the edge 472 of the flow director 470 andpassing through the disc-shaped separator medium 452. From the interiorspace 474, the continuous phase liquid flows through the opening 460 inthe fitting 458 into the stand-off tube (not shown) and hence to thecontinuous phase chamber (not shown) and the continuous phase outlet(not shown). The discontinuous phase liquid may flow along the flowdirector 470 and diverge from the curvilinear flow path of thecontinuous phase liquid away from the separator 450 to the bottom of thecoalesced liquid chamber 422 and hence to the discontinuous phase outlet(not shown).

Another fluid, or liquid/liquid, treatment system 500 is illustrated inFIG. 6. This system may also include many elements, such as a housing(not shown), coalescer (not shown), separator 550 and flow director 570,which may have one or more of any of the features described with respectto the other embodiments, especially the embodiment shown in FIG. 5. Forexample, the flow director 570 may have a generally cylindricalconfiguration defining a surface 571, an open end at the edge 572 of theflow director 570, and a closed end opposite the open end which may beattached to the coalescer While the separator 550 may include aseparator medium 552 having a hollow cylindrical or conicalconfiguration, in the illustrated embodiment the separator medium 552has a circular geometry and a generally planar configuration. Theseparator medium 552 may be arranged in a plane substantiallyperpendicular to the axis of the flow director 570. However, unlike theseparator medium 452 of FIG. 5 which is substantially flush with theedge 472 of the flow director 470, the separator medium 552 of FIG. 6 ispreferably positioned within the flow director 570 at a distance fromthe edge 572. The separator medium 552 may be disposed at any suitabledistance from the edge 572 of the flow director 570 that is between theedge 572 and the closed end of the flow director 570 and may be sealedto the flow director 570 by a seal 557. The separator 550 may alsoinclude a fitting 558 defining an opening 560. The fitting 558 may havea first portion that extends into the interior space 574 formed by thedownstream side of the separator medium 552 and the flow director 570,the first portion having one or more holes, such as an open end or slotsor perforations in a side wall, that fluidly communicate between theinterior space 574 and the opening 560 in fitting 558. The fitting 558may also have a second portion that extends beyond, e.g., below, theseparator medium 552 and is preferably impervious, defining a gap 573between the second portion of the fitting 558, the upstream side of theseparator medium 552 and the flow director 570. The second portion ofthe fitting 558 may be sealed to a stand-off tube (not shown) by anO-ring 556 or other seal.

Flow of the continuous phase liquid and the discontinuous phase liquidmay be similar to that described with respect to the other embodiments,especially the embodiment shown in FIG. 5. The continuous phase liquid,represented by the arrows in FIG. 6, may flow from the downstream sideof the coalescer (not shown) past the flow director 570 in a curvilinearflow path around the edge 572 of the flow director 570 into the gap 573.From the gap 573 the continuous phase liquid contacts the separator 550and flows through the separator medium 552 into the interior space 574.From the interior space 574 the continuous phase liquid flows into theopening 560 of the fitting 558 through the stand-off tube (not shown)into the continuous phase chamber (not shown) and through the continuousphase outlet (not shown). The discontinuous phase liquid may flow fromthe downstream side of the coalescer 530 past the flow director 570. Thediscontinuous phase liquid may then diverge from the curvilinear flowpath of the continuous phase liquid away from the separator 550 and passto the lower portion of the coalesced liquid chamber 522 and hence tothe discontinuous phase outlet (not shown).

Another fluid, or liquid/liquid, treatment system 600 is illustrated inFIG. 7. This system may also preferably include many elements, such as ahousing (not shown), coalescer 630, flow director 670, and separator650, which may have one or more of any of the features described withrespect to the other embodiments. For example, the housing may include atube sheet 614 and a process fluid chamber 620, the coalescer 630 mayinclude a coalescer medium 632, and the flow director 670 may include asurface 671. The fluid treatment system 600 includes two or morecoalescers, e.g., four coalescers 630, arranged above and in fluidcommunication with fewer separators, e.g., a single separator 650. Thecoalescers 630 are illustrated as comprising a cylindricalconfiguration; however, the coalescers may comprise any suitableconfiguration, such as conical. Further, the separator 650 isillustrated as comprising a conical configuration; however, theseparator may comprise any suitable configuration, such as cylindricalor planar. In addition, more than one separator 650 may be used. A flowdirector 670 is illustrated as being positioned between the coalescers630 and separator 650. As illustrated, the flow director 670 maycomprise a planar configuration and a polygonal, e.g., circular,geometry. The flow director may also comprise any suitable configurationas discussed above, such as a conical or cylindrical configuration. Theinvention is not limited to the number of or the particular arrangementof coalescers, separators and flow director illustrated in FIG. 7. Forexample, the coalescers may be positioned in one or more rows orclusters and a separator and a flow director may be associated with eachrow or cluster.

Flow of the continuous phase liquid and the discontinuous phase liquidmay be similar to the other embodiments. Process fluid may be directedinto the process fluid chamber 620 and, for example, inside-out throughthe coalescers 630. The continuous phase liquid, represented by thearrows in FIG. 7, may flow from the downstream side of the coalescers630 in a curvilinear flow path around the edge 672 of the flow director670 and contact the separator 650. The continuous phase liquid may thenflow through the separator medium 652 through the stand-off tube 616into the continuous phase chamber (not shown) and hence to thecontinuous phase outlet (not shown). The discontinuous phase liquid,represented by droplets in FIG. 7, may flow from the downstream side ofthe coalescers 630 past the edge 672 of the flow director 670. Thediscontinuous phase liquid may then diverge from the curvilinear flowpath of the continuous phase liquid and pass and to the lower portion ofthe coalesced liquid chamber 622 and hence to the discontinuous phaseoutlet (not shown).

For many fluid treatment systems, the housing, as well as the coalescersand/or separators, may be oriented generally vertically. However, fluidtreatment systems may also be oriented generally horizontally, as shown,for example, in FIG. 8. The fluid, or liquid/liquid, treatment system700 illustrated in FIG. 8 may include many elements, such as a housing710, coalescer 730, flow director 770, and separator 750, which may haveone or more of any of the features described with respect to the otherembodiments. However, the housing 710, one or more of the coalescers730, and one or more of the separators 750 are each oriented generallyhorizontally. Alternatively, a coalescer and/or a separator may beoriented vertically within a horizontal housing or may be orientedhorizontally within a vertical housing.

The housing 710 may have a wide variety of suitable configurations andmay include many of the features previously described with respect tothe vertical housings in the other embodiments. For example, the housing710 may comprise one or more fluid inlets and outlets, such as a processfluid inlet 711, a continuous phase outlet 712, and a discontinuousphase outlet 713, and a removable cover 717. Further, the housing may bedivided into one or more chambers. In the illustrated embodiment, thehousing 710 may include a single fluid chamber 722 e.g., a coalescedliquid chamber. However, the housing may include one or more partitionswhich divide the housing into two or more chambers, e.g., a processfluid chamber, a coalesced fluid chamber, and a continuous phase fluidchamber. The housing 710 preferably has a generally cylindricalconfiguration, the axis of the housing extending generally horizontally.

While only a single coalescer 730 and a single separator 750 are shownin the housing 710 illustrated in FIG. 8, the fluid treatment system 700may include two or more coalescers and/or two or more separators, eachof which are preferably oriented horizontally. The coalescer 730 mayhave a generally cylindrical configuration and one or more end caps,e.g., an open end cap 734 and a blind end cap 735. Similarly, theseparator 750 may have a generally cylindrical configuration and one ormore end caps, e.g., a blind end cap 755 and an open end cap 754.Alternatively, the separator 750, as well as the coalescer 730, may haveany other suitable configuration including a conical, a circular, or aplanar configuration.

The separator(s) 750 and the coalescer(s) 730 may be positioned withinthe housing 710 in a variety of ways. For process fluids in which thediscontinuous phase liquid is heavier than the continuous phase liquid,the separator 750 is preferably positioned in a horizontal fluidtreatment system laterally above the coalescer 730, as shown in FIG. 8,either directly above or offset from the coalescer 730. For processfluids in which the discontinuous phase liquid is lighter, the separatormay be positioned in a horizontal fluid treatment system laterally belowthe coalescer. Alternatively, regardless of which phase is heavier, theseparator may be positioned at the same height as the coalescer, e.g.,coaxially in front of or behind the coalescer or beside the coalescer,or at a different height above or below the coalescer. The coalescer(s)and the separator(s) may be supported in the housing by any suitablesupport mechanism, including, for example, a tube sheet, support plate,or a mechanical connection such as a tie rod assembly. In theillustrated embodiment, the coalescer 730 and the separator 750 aresupported by an inlet pipe 720 fluidly communicating between thecoalescer 730 and the process fluid inlet 711 and an outlet pipe 721fluidly communicating between the separator 750 and the continuous phasefluid outlet 712, respectively.

The horizontal fluid treatment system 700 further includes a flowdirector 770 which is preferably cooperatively arranged to direct thecontinuous phase liquid in a curvilinear flow path. The flow director770 may thus promote separation of the discontinuous phase liquid fromthe continuous phase liquid, for example by diverging the flow paths ofthe discontinuous phase liquid from the continuous phase liquid, e.g.,by directing a portion or all of the continuous phase liquid along acurvilinear flow path toward the separator 750 and by diverging aportion or all of the discontinuous phase liquid away from the separator750. The flow director 770 is preferably positioned between thecoalescer 730 and the separator 750 such that it directs the continuousphase liquid from the downstream side of the coalescer 730 in acurvilinear flow path to the separator 750. Further, in a horizontalembodiment, at least a portion of the flow director 770 is preferablysloped or slanted to allow discontinuous phase liquid to drain away fromthe separator 750 and/or flow director 770.

The flow director may be directly associated with the separator 750 orthe coalescer 730 or both the separator 750 and the coalescer 730. Forexample, the flow director 770 may comprise a conical or a cylindricalconfiguration spaced from and extending along and around the downstreamsurface of the coalescer 730 or a group of coalescers 730 and/or alongand around the upstream surface of the separator 750 or a group ofseparators 750. Preferably the flow director 770 comprises a partitionor barrier between the coalescer 730 and the separator 750 and includesa surface 771. The partition or barrier may, for example, have a planar,or curved configuration and may be sloped in any suitable direction toallow discontinuous phase liquid to drain away from the separator 750.The partition or barrier may extend between the coalescer 730 and theseparator 750 laterally and/or longitudinally across all or a portion ofthe interior of the housing 710 and/or it may have openings throughwhich the continuous phase liquid may flow in a curvilinear flow path tothe separator 750. The flow director 770 preferably is arranged todirect liquid flowing from the coalescer 730 past the coalescer 730toward one or both ends and/or sides of the housing or vessel 710 andthen bend to the separator 750. The flow director 770 is preferablydirectly associated with the housing 710, e.g., permanently or removablypositioned within the housing 710. For example, the flow director 770may be directly mounted to the housing 710, e.g., as a partition withinthe housing 710 or may comprise a part of the housing 710.

The fluid treatment system 700 shown in FIG. 8 illustrates a preferredconfiguration where the process fluid comprises an immiscible mixtureincluding a discontinuous phase liquid and a continuous phase liquidwhich is less dense than the discontinuous phase liquid. However, theinvention is not limited to an embodiment for separating a denserdiscontinuous phase liquid from a less dense continuous phase liquid aspreviously explained.

A process fluid entering the system 700 may enter the housing or vessel710 through a process fluid inlet 711 and pass through the inlet pipe720, isolating the process fluid from the coalesced liquid chamber 722.The inlet pipe 720 may be associated with one or more open coalescer endcaps 734, e.g., directly or via a manifold, allowing process fluid toflow into the interior of each coalescer 730. The fluid then flowsinside-out through the coalescer medium 732 of the coalescer 730 fromthe upstream surface to the downstream surface of the coalescer 730,where the small particles or droplets of the discontinuous phase liquidin the continuous phase liquid are coalesced to form larger droplets.The coalesced discontinuous phase liquid and the continuous phase liquidpassing through the coalescer 730 may enter the coalesced liquid chamber722.

From the downstream surface of the coalescer 730 the continuous phaseliquid flows along a curvilinear flow path flow, represented by thearrows in FIG. 8, around the flow director 770 to the separator 750. Thecontinuous phase liquid bends around the edge 772 of the flow director770 and passes through the separator medium 752 through the outlet pipe721 to the continuous phase outlet 712. From the downstream surface ofthe coalescer 730 the discontinuous phase liquid may generally divergefrom the continuous phase liquid. Rather than following the curvilinearflow path of the continuous phase liquid, the discontinuous phase liquidmay diverge from the curvilinear flow path and pass to the lower portionof the coalesced liquid chamber 722 away from the separator 750. Thus,the amount of discontinuous phase liquid in the vicinity of theseparator 750 may be significantly reduced. Separation may be enhanced,for example, because the separator medium 752 is not blinded by thediscontinuous phase liquid and/or because the continuous phase liquidmay pass easily through the separator 750 without carrying or forcingsignificant amounts, if any, of the discontinuous phase liquid with it.In an embodiment where the flow director 770 includes a slope or slant,any discontinuous phase liquid in the vicinity of the separator 750 maybe assisted in draining away from the separator 750 and back to thelower portion of the coalesced liquid chamber 722. From the lowerportion of the coalesced liquid chamber 722, the discontinuous phaseliquid exits the housing or vessel 710 via the discontinue phase outlet713.

Another horizontal fluid, or liquid/liquid, treatment system 800 isshown in FIG. 9. This system may include many elements, such as ahousing (not shown), coalescer 830, separator 850 and flow director 870,which may have one or more of any of the features described with respectto the other embodiments, especially the embodiment shown in FIG. 8. Forexample, the coalescer 830 may be supported by an inlet pipe 820 and mayinclude a coalescer medium 832. A horizontal separator 850 may bearranged laterally above the horizontal coalescer 830, and the flowdirector 870 may be disposed between them. However, in the fluidtreatment system 800 shown in FIG. 9, the flow director 870 may have agenerally cylindrical configuration and may be cooperatively associatedwith, e.g., attached coaxially to, the separator 850. The separator 850may have a generally conical configuration, and a horizontally orientedconical separator 850 may have advantages similar to those describedwith respect to the vertically oriented conical separator 350 of theembodiment shown in FIG. 4. Alternatively, the flow director and theseparator may have any other suitable configuration. For example, theflow director may have a conical configuration and/or the separator mayhave a cylindrical or generally planar configuration.

The flow director 870 may surround the separator 850, e.g., as a skirtor shroud, and define a surface 871 and a gap 873 between the flowdirector 870 and the separator 850, e.g., a tapered gap 873. The flowdirector 870 preferably extends axially substantially the full length ormore of the separator 850. The flow director 870 may also extend axiallysubstantially the full length or more of the coalescer 830. In theillustrated embodiment, the separator 850 preferably has an open endfluidly communicating with outlet pipe 821 and an opposite closed end,and the flow director 870 preferably has a closed end at the outlet pipe821 and an opposite open end. The lower region of the flow director 870may be sloped downward toward the open end to allow any discontinuousphase liquid that may enter the open end of the flow director 870 todrain from the interior of the flow director 870. The flow director 870and the separator 850 may be attached, for example, to the outlet pipe821 in various ways, e.g., by a mechanical connection, such as a tie rodassembly or a screw-on attachment.

Flow of the continuous phase liquid and the discontinuous phase liquidmay be similar to that described with respect to the other embodiments,especially the embodiment shown in FIG. 8. The continuous phase liquidmay flow from the downstream side of the coalescer 830 in a curvilinearpath around the edge 872 of the flow director 870 into the gap 873. Fromthe gap 873, the continuous phase liquid may contact the upstream sideof the separator 850, flow through the separator medium 852 into theinterior of the separator 850, and pass through the open end of theseparator 850 into outlet pipe 821 and hence to the continuous phaseoutlet (not shown). The discontinuous phase liquid may diverge from thecurvilinear flow path of the continuous phase liquid, e.g., at or nearthe edge 872 of the flow director 870, and pass to the bottom of thecoalesced liquid chamber 822, where it exits the housing or vessel (notshown) via the discontinuous phase outlet (not shown).

Each of the previous fluid treatment systems preferably includes aseparator. However, in accordance with a second aspect of the invention,a fluid treatment system may comprise a flow director downstream of acoalescer but be free of a separator.

Fluid treatment systems comprising a flow director but no separator maybe advantageous for many types of immiscible liquid/liquid mixtures,including mixtures in which the continuous phase liquid and thediscontinuous phase liquid have significantly different specificgravities. For example, the specific gravities may differ by about 10%or more with respect to the smaller specific gravity.

One example of a fluid, or liquid/liquid, treatment system 900comprising a flow director 970 and without a separator is shown in FIG.10. The system 900 may include many elements, such as a housing (notshown), coalescer 930, and flow director 970, which may have one or moreany of the features described with respect to the other embodiments,except this system does not have a separator.

The coalescer 930 may be variously configured but preferably comprises ahollow conical or cylindrical configuration, including a coalescermedium 932 extending between an open end cap 934 and a blind end cap935. The interior of the coalescer 930 fluidly communicates with theprocess fluid chamber 920 via the open end cap 934. The flow director970 also preferably has a hollow conical or cylindrical configuration,including a blind end, which may abut the closed end cap 935 of thecoalescer 930, and an open end, which may be spaced axially from andopen away from the coalescer 930. Preferably, the coalescer 930 and theflow director 970 are permanently or removably attached as an integralunit and may be mounted to or removed from the housing as an integralunit. For example, the coalescer 930 and the flow director 970 may havediameters which enable them to be mounted to the tube sheet 914 byslipping them through the opening in the tube sheet 914, similar to theprevious embodiments.

The continuous phase chamber preferably communicates with an interiorspace 974 of the flow director 970, for example, via a stand-off tube916. The stand-off tube 916 preferably contacts and is secured to theflow director 970. For example, the flow director 970 may include afitting 975 similar to the fitting 458 of FIG. 5 or the fitting 558 ofFIG. 6. A perforated structural member 977, such as a spider or aperforated plate, may join the fitting 975 to the side wall of the flowdirector 970, either at the edge 972 of the flow director 970 as shownin FIG. 10 or inward from the edge 972. For example, a perforatedstructural member may be substituted for the separator medium 552 shownin FIG. 6. The fitting 975 may be sealed to the stand-off tube 916, forexample, via an O-ring or other seal 979.

As another example, the flow director may have a planar configurationand a polygonal geometry, e.g., a disc-shaped configuration and acircular geometry. One or more coalescers may be positioned on one sideof the flow director, e.g., above the flow director. For example, theplanar flow director may be attached to the blind ends of one or morecoalescers perpendicular to the axes of the coalescers, the diameter ofthe flow director preferably being larger than the diameter of thecoalescer or the cluster of the coalescers. A stand-off tube may openinto the coalesced liquid chamber near the flow director, e.g., near thecenter below the flow director. This embodiment may be similar to theembodiment shown in FIG. 7 without the separator 650.

Flow of the continuous phase liquid and the discontinuous phase liquidmay be similar to that described with respect to the other embodiments,especially the embodiments shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, except the continuousphase liquid does not flow through a separator. The continuous phaseliquid may flow from the downstream side of the coalescer 930 in acurvilinear flow path around the edge 972 of the flow director 970. Thecontinuous phase liquid may, for example, flow away from the coalescer930 generally axially along the side wall of the flow director, bendingaround the edge 972 of the flow director 970. The continuous phaseliquid then passes axially in the opposite direction into the interiorspace 974 and then through the fitting 977 to the stand-off tube 916. Asanother example, the continuous phase liquid may flow away from thecoalescer or cluster of coalescers generally radially outwardly alongthe flow director bending in a curvilinear flow path around the outeredge of the flow director. The continuous phase liquid then passes inthe opposite direction radially inwardly along the opposite side of theflow director to the stand-off tube. From the stand-off tube 916, thecontinuous phase liquid passes into the continuous phase chamber (notshown) and hence to the continuous phase outlet (not shown). Thediscontinuous phase liquid may flow from the downstream side of thecoalescer 930 (or cluster or coalescers) past the edge 972 of the flowdirector 970 and diverge from the curvilinear flow path of thecontinuous phase liquid, passing away from the opening in the stand-offtube 916 to the lower portion of the coalesced liquid chamber 922 andhence to the discontinuous phase outlet (not shown).

Each of the previous fluid treatment systems preferably includes a flowdirector. However, in accordance with a third aspect of the invention, afluid treatment system may comprise a separator downstream of acoalescer but be free of a flow director. One example of a fluid, orliquid/liquid, treatment system 1000 comprising a coalescer 1030 and aseparator 1050 without a flow director is shown in FIG. 11. The system1000 may include many elements, such as a housing (not shown), coalescer1030 and separator 1050, which may have one or more of all the featuresdescribed with respect to the other embodiments, except this system 1000does not have a flow director.

The coalescer 1030 may be variously configured but preferably comprisesa hollow conical or cylindrical configuration having an interior. Acoalescer medium 1032, which may be pleated or nonpleated, may bedisposed between first and second open end caps 1034, 1035 at oppositefirst and second open ends of the coalescer 1030. One of end caps, e.g.,the first end cap 1034, may be sealed to the housing e.g., may besealingly mounted the tube sheet 1014. The coalescer medium 1032 has aninterior surface facing the interior of the coalescer 1030, which ispreferably an upstream surface, and an exterior surface facing away fromthe interior of the coalescer 1030, which is preferably a downstreamsurface. The coalescer 1030 may also include one or more additionalelements as previously described.

The separator 1050 is preferably positioned at least partially within,more preferably substantially entirely within, and even more preferablyentirely within the hollow coalescer 1030. The separator 1050 and thecoalescer 1030 are preferably permanently or removably attached as anintegral unit which can be conveniently mounted to or removed from ahousing. By positioning the separator 1050 within the coalescer 1030,the arrangement of the coalescer 1030 and the separator 1050 may be morecompact, e.g., shorter, enabling the coalescer and the separator to behoused within a smaller housing or vessel.

The separator 1050 may be variously configured and may include one ormore of the elements previously described. For example, the separator1050 may include a separation medium 1052, and the separation medium1052 may be disposed at an angle A to the longitudinal axis of theseparator 1050. The angle A may be in the range from about 0° to about180°, the separation medium 1052 having a hollow generally cylindricalconfiguration where the angle A equals about 0° (or 180°) or a hollow,generally planar configuration where the angle A equals about 90°.Preferably, the separation medium has a nonpleated, hollow, generallyconical configuration and the angle A is in the range from about 30° toabout 60°, e.g., about 45°. Preferably, the apex of the conicalseparator 1050 points toward the second open end of the coalescer 1030.

The separator 1050 may also include a fitting 1058 which may be sealedto the separation medium 1052, e.g., at any suitable distance from theend of the coalescer 1030. The fitting 1058 preferably defines anopening 1060 that fluidly communicates When the downstream side of theseparator medium 1052, e.g., via an open end of the fitting 1058 or viaperforations or slots in the fitting 1058. The fitting 1058 may beattached to a stand-off tube 1016 and sealed to the stand off tube 1016,for example, via an O-ring or other seal 1056, allowing fluidcommunication between the stand-off tube 1016 and the opening 1060 inthe fitting 1058. The fitting 1058 may also be attached to the coalescer1030, for example, via a spider or a perforated plate 1062.

A barrier assembly 1090 is preferably positioned within the coalescer1030 between the coalescer medium 1032 and the separation medium 1052.The barrier assembly may have a one-piece or a multipiece constructionand may be a separate element or may be part of the coalescer or theseparator. The barrier assembly 1090 serves as a barrier between processfluid which enters, for example, the first open end of the coalescer1030 and the continuous phase liquid which enters, for example, thesecond open end of the coalescer 1030. The barrier assembly isolates theseparator from the open end or open end cap through which the processfluid enters the coalescer and from the upstream side of the coalescer.Consequently, the barrier assembly 1090 preferably comprises animpervious material such as an impervious metal or plastic.

The barrier assembly 1090 may be configured in a wide variety of ways.For example, the barrier assembly 1090 may have a generally cylindricalor a generally conical configuration. As shown in FIG. 11, the conicalbarrier assembly is preferably oriented with the apex pointing towardthe first open end of the coalescer and may be truncated. The barrierassembly 1090 is preferably sealed against both the coalescer 1030 andthe separator 1050 and may be attached to one or more of the housing,the coalescer 1030 and the separator 1050. In the illustratedembodiment, the barrier assembly 1090 may be attached and sealed to thesecond end cap 1035 of the coalescer 1030 and to the separation medium1052, terminating beyond the separation medium 1052. Alternatively, theseparator may include a blind end cap attached to the separator mediumand the barrier assembly may extend between the second open end cap ofthe coalescer and the blind end cap of the separator. Within thecoalescer 1030, the barrier assembly 1090 and the separator 1050 definea gap 1093 upstream of the separator medium 1050 and an interior space1094 downstream of the separator medium 1052.

Flow of the continuous phase liquid and the discontinuous phase liquidmay be similar to that described with respect to the other embodiments,except the continuous phase liquid does not flow along or around a flowdirector. Process fluid may enter the interior of the coalescer 1030,for example, from the process fluid chamber 1020 through the first openend cap 1034 at the first open end of the coalescer 1030 and pass alongone side of the barrier assembly 1090 to the coalescer medium 1032. Theconical configuration of the barrier assembly 1090 may enhancedistribution of process fluid to the coalescer medium 1032. The processfluid then flows inside-out from the upstream surface, e.g., theinterior surface, of the coalescer 1030 to the downstream surface e.g.,the exterior surface, through the coalescer medium 1032, where the smallparticles or droplets of the discontinuous phase liquid are coalesced toform larger droplets.

From the downstream surface of the coalescer 1030 the continuous phaseliquid flows in a curvilinear flow path around the second open end cap1035 and, preferably back through the second open end of the coalescer1030. The continuous phase liquid then flows into the interior of thecoalescer 1030 in the gap 1093 along the other side of the barrierassembly 1090 to the separation medium 1052 of the separator 1050, whichis isolated from the upstream side of the coalescer 1030. From the gap1093 the continuous phase liquid 1052 flows through the separator medium1052, which resists passage of any discontinuous phase liquid, and intothe interior space 1094 downstream from the separator medium 1052. Fromthe interior space 1094 the continuous phase liquid flows through theopening 1060 in the fitting 1058 through the stand-off tube 1016 intothe continuous phase chamber 1021 and hence to the continuous phaseoutlet (not shown). The discontinuous phase liquid may flow from thedownstream side of the coalescer 1030 past the coalescer medium 1032 andthe second end cap 1035. The discontinuous phase liquid may then divergefrom the curvilinear flow path of the continuous phase liquid away fromthe separator 1050 and pass to the lower portion of the coalesced liquidchamber 1022. Any discontinuous phase liquid which reaches the separator1050 may drain from the separator medium 1052, especially theconically-shaped separator medium 1052, and pass to the lower portion ofthe coalesced liquid chamber 1022. From the lower portion of thecoalesced liquid chamber 1022, the discontinuous phase liquid may passto the discontinuous phase outlet (not shown).

Another fluid, or liquid/liquid, treatment system 1100 is illustrated inFIG. 12. This system may also include many elements, such as a housing(not shown), coalescer 1130 and separator 1150, which may have one ormore of any of the features described with respect to the otherembodiments, especially the embodiments shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 11,except this system 1100 does not include a flow director. Further, theseparator 1150 in this system 1100 is preferably disposed substantiallyoutside of, more preferably completely outside of, the coalescer 1130.

The coalescer 1130 may have a hollow, generally cylindrical or conicalconfiguration and a coalescer medium 1032 extending between first andsecond end caps 1134, 1135. The first end cap 1134 is preferable open,while the second end cap 1135 is preferably blind.

The separator 1150 is disposed downstream of the coalescer 1130 and maybe permanently or removably mounted to the housing, e.g., a stand-offtube, or, preferably, the coalescer 1130, e.g., to the blind end cap1135 of the coalescer 1130. While two or more coalescers may beassociated with each separator, each coalescer 1130 is preferablyassociated with a single separator 1150. The separator 1150 and thecoalescer 1130 are preferably arranged coaxially, and the diameter ofthe separator 1150 is preferably substantially equal to or less than thediameter of the coalescer 1130, enabling them to be mounted or removedthrough an opening in the housing, for example, through an opening in atube sheet 1114, as an integral unit. While the coalescer 1130 andseparator 1150 may be oriented horizontally, they are preferablyoriented vertically.

While the separator 1150 may have any suitable configuration, anonpleated, conical configuration where the apex of the conicalseparator 1150 points away from the coalescer 1130 is most preferred.The separator 1150 may include any of the elements previously described,including a separator medium 1152 and a blind end cap mounted to one endof the separator medium 1152. The blind end cap of the separator 1150may be attached to the blind end cap 1135 of the coalescer 1130.Alternatively, the separator medium may be mounted directly to the blindend cap of the coalescer. The separator 1150 may also include a fitting1158 joined to the other end of the separator medium 1152 and definingan opening 1160 which fluidly communicates between the downstream sideof the separator medium 1152 and a continuous phase chamber, e.g., via astand-off tube. The fitting 1158 may be sealed to the stand-off tube(not shown) by an O-ring or other seal 1156.

Process fluid may be introduced to the coalescer 1130, preferably, intothe interior of the coalescer 1130 through the first open end cap 1134at the first open end. The process fluid then flows from the upstreamsurface, e.g., the interior surface, of the coalescer 1130 to thedownstream surface, e.g., the exterior surface, through the coalescermedium 1132. As the process fluid flows through the coalescer medium1132, small particles or droplets of discontinuous phase liquid arecoalesced to form larger droplets.

From the downstream side of the coalescer 1130, the continuous phaseliquid flows past the coalescer 1130 to the separator 1150. However,continuous phase liquid does not pass along or around a flow director.Further, unlike many previous embodiments where much or all of thecontinuous phase liquid may bend through about 90° or more, e.g., about180° or more, before contacting a separator, the continuous phase liquidin the fluid treatment system 1100 shown in FIG. 12 may bend throughless than 90°, e.g., generally about 45°, to contact the separator 1150The continuous phase liquid then passes through the separator medium1152 through the opening 1160 in the fitting 1158 and into the stand-offtube (not shown). From the stand-off tube, the continuous phase liquidmay pass into the continuous phase chamber (not shown) and hence to thecontinuous phase outlet (not shown). The discontinuous phase liquid alsoflows past the coalescer 1130. Some of the discontinuous phase liquidmay then flow past the separator 1150 to the lower portion of thecoalesced liquid chamber and some of discontinuous phase liquid may passin the vicinity of e.g., contact, the separator 1150. As previouslydescribed, a separator having a conical, nonpleated configuration mayfacilitate drainage of the discontinuous phase liquid from the surfaceof the separator. The discontinuous phase liquid which drains from theseparator 1150 may also flow to the lower portion of the coalescedliquid chamber 1122. From the lower portion of the coalesced liquidchamber, the discontinuous phase liquid may pass through thediscontinuous phase outlet (not shown).

While the invention has been described in some detail by way ofillustration and example, the invention is susceptible to variousmodifications and alternative forms and is not restricted to thespecific embodiments set forth. One or more of the features of oneembodiment may be combined with one or more of the features of anotherembodiment. For example, the generally planar flow director of FIG. 3may be combined with the generally cylindrical or conical flow directorof, e.g., FIG. 1, FIG. 2, or FIG. 3 to form a flow director comprising alarger diameter planar flange and a smaller diameter cylindrical orconical skirt depending from the flange. One or more of the features ofany embodiment may be modified. For example, the horizontal fluidtreatment system 700 shown in FIG. 8 may be modified to form a verticalfluid, or liquid/liquid, treatment system 1200 as shown in FIG. 13. Thissystem 1200 may include many elements, such as a housing 1210, coalescer1230, flow director 1270 and separator 1250, which may have one or moreof the features described with respect to the other embodiments,especially the embodiment shown in FIG. 8. For example, the housing 1210may include a process fluid inlet 1211, a continuous phase outlet 1212,an inlet pipe 1220, and an outlet pipe 1221; the coalescer 1230 mayinclude a coalescer medium 1232 extending between an open end cap 1234and a blind end cap 1235; and the separator 1250 may include a separatormedium 1252 extending between an open end cap 1254 and a blind end cap1255. However, the fluid treatment system 1200 is preferably orientedvertically with the cover 1217 on top. The flow director 1270 preferablycomprises a barrier partition which is sealed to the cover 1214 andwhich extends to a perforated support plate 1215 in the lower portion ofthe housing 1210. Further, the discontinuous phase outlet 1213 isdisposed in the lower portion of the coalesced liquid chamber 1222.After the process fluid flows through the coalescer 1230, the continuousphase liquid flows from the downstream side of the coalescer 1030 in acurvilinear flow path through the perforated support plate 1215 aroundthe lower edge 1272 of the flow director 1270 and up to the separator1250. The discontinuous phase liquid diverges from the curvilinear flowpath of the continuous phase liquid and passes to the lower portion ofthe coalesced liquid chamber 1222 and hence to the discontinuous phaseoutlet. Further, one or more of the features of any embodiment may beomitted. For example, the flow director 670 of the embodiment shown inFIG. 7 may be omitted. The conical separator 650 may be attached, forexample, to the stand-off tube 616 at one end and have a blind end capattached to the opposite end. The conical separator 650 may thenfunction with two or more coalescers 630 in a manner similar to that ofthe conical separator 1150 with the single coalescer 1130 shown in FIG.12. Thus, the described and illustrated embodiments are not intended tolimit the invention but, on the contrary, are intended to suggest allmodifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spiritand scope of the invention defined in each of the following claims.

All of the information cited herein, including publications, patents,and patent applications, are hereby incorporated in their entireties byreference.

1. A liquid/liquid separation arrangement for separating a discontinuousphase liquid from a continuous phase liquid comprising: a separatorincluding an upstream surface, wherein the separator resists passage ofthe discontinuous phase liquid and allows passage of the continuousphase liquid; and a flow director cooperatively arranged with theseparator to direct continuous phase liquid in a curvilinear flow pathto the upstream surface of the separator.
 2. The liquid/liquidseparation arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the separatorcomprises a conical configuration.
 3. The liquid/liquid separationarrangement according to claim 1, wherein the flow director surroundsthe separator.
 4. The liquid/liquid separation arrangement according toclaim 1, wherein the flow director defines a gap upstream of theseparator.
 5. The liquid/liquid separation arrangement according toclaim 4, wherein the gap is uniform.
 6. The liquid/liquid separationarrangement according to claim 4, wherein the gap is tapered.
 7. Theliquid/liquid separation arrangement according to claim 1, wherein thelength of the flow director is greater than or substantially equal tothe length of the separator.
 8. The liquid/liquid separation arrangementaccording to claim 1, wherein the flow director is attached to theseparator.
 9. The liquid/liquid separation arrangement according toclaim 8, wherein the flow director is attached to an end of theseparator.
 10. A liquid/liquid separation arrangement for separating adiscontinuous phase liquid from a continuous phase liquid comprising: aseparator including a separator medium and a flow director mounted tothe separator. 11-18. (canceled)
 19. A liquid/liquid coalescingarrangement for separating a discontinuous phase liquid from acontinuous phase liquid comprising: a coalescer including a downstreamsurface, wherein the coalescer forms smaller particles of thediscontinuous phase liquid into larger droplets; and a flow directorcooperatively arranged with the coalescer to direct the continuous phaseliquid in a curvilinear flow path away from the downstream surface tothe coalescer.
 20. A liquid/liquid coalescing arrangement for separatinga discontinuous phase liquid from a continuous phase liquid comprising:a coalescer including a coalescer medium and a flow director mounted tothe coalescer. 21-24. (canceled)
 25. A liquid/liquid treatmentarrangement for separating a discontinuous phase liquid from acontinuous phase liquid comprising: a coalescer including a downstreamsurface; a separator including an upstream surface; and a flow directordisposed between the downstream surface of the coalescer and theupstream surface of the separator. 26-37. (canceled)
 38. A liquid/liquidtreatment arrangement for separating a discontinuous phase liquid from acontinuous phase liquid comprising: a hollow coalescer including aninterior, an upstream side facing the interior of the coalescer and adownstream side facing away from the interior of the coalescer and aseparator positioned in the interior of the hollow coalescer andisolated from the upstream side of the coalescer. 39-43. (canceled) 44.A liquid/liquid treatment arrangement for separating a discontinuousphase liquid from a continuous phase liquid comprising: a hollowcoalescer including an interior and first and second opposite open endsand a separator positioned in the interior of the hollow coalescer andisolated from one of the open ends of the coalescer. 45-48. (canceled)49. A liquid/liquid treatment arrangement for separating a discontinuousphase liquid from a continuous phase liquid comprising: a coalescerincluding a coalescer medium and a separator including a separatormedium, wherein the separator comprises a conical configuration and theconical separator points away from the coalescer. 50-53. (canceled) 54.A method for separating a discontinuous phase liquid from a continuousphase liquid comprising: directing the continuous phase liquid from acoalescer in a curvilinear flow path to a separator. 55-56. (canceled)57. A method for separating a discontinuous phase liquid from acontinuous phase liquid comprising: diverging the flow paths of thecontinuous phase liquid from the discontinuous phase liquid, includingdirecting the continuous phase liquid along a curvilinear flow path.58-59. (canceled)
 60. A method for separating a discontinuous phaseliquid from a continuous phase liquid comprising: directing a mixture ofthe continuous phase liquid and the discontinuous phase liquid into theinterior of a hollow coalescer and inside-out from an upstream side ofthe coalescer to a downstream side through a coalescer medium anddirecting the continuous phase liquid into the interior of the hollowcoalescer and through a separator which is isolated from the upstreamside of the coalescer.
 61. (canceled)
 62. A method of separating adiscontinuous phase liquid from a continuous phase liquid comprising:directing a mixture of the continuous phase liquid and the discontinuousphase liquid through a first open end of a hollow coalescer andinside-out through a coalescer medium and directing the continuous phaseliquid through an opposite open end of the hollow coalescer and througha separator which is isolated from the first open end of the coalescer.63. (canceled)